The Glory Of That Light

Well first of all I'd love to say that it's a real privilege for me to be here tonight. I don't ever remember being in this area other than I understand when I was a little bitty boy at somewhere up here near a springs. I guess they must have some springs up here that I slipped as a little boy and hit my head. Had a place up there where I use to have some hair. And it's the only thing I know about ever being in this area. But Brother Grady had ask us to come up and visit with the folks here and we've had a chance to meet them. The first time we've ever met you folks, but it's a real privilege and a real pleasure to make your acquaintance. And see some faces here we've never seen before. We're thankful for these and especially grateful for our people coming up and also Brother Husteller and them coming over from Atlanta. The opportunity to be here is a real blessing to me and even though they didn't get out any kind of advertisement on the meeting at all. It was kind of a quick thing, yet they will out some brochures out I think tomorrow. We may have some of them tonight. Atlee may be running late tonight to finish them up. He might have run into a problem. I think they're going to put out some tomorrow and it may help with the meeting a little bit. But I'd like to talk with you just a few minutes from the Word of the Lord. Also I'd love to say I appreciate Brother Johnny reserving us a place over here at the Red Carpet Inn. That's something that's really unusual, Johnny. I usually have to pay for the places I stay. And you brethren coming and getting me a place to stay it was a very unusual thing. But I thank the Lord for it. I really appreciate it. And I thought it was mighty thoughtful of you. And I know that God will bless you for it. Let's see if I can get my ribbon loose right here. If you've got your Bibles turn over to the book of Acts with us if you don't mind. Over in about the twenty-second chapter; and let's read a little bit from the book of Acts in the twenty-second chapter and see if we can the Lord will give us a thought here. The twenty-second chapter, first verse. (Reads Acts 22:1-30.) I'd love to back up just a little bit here to the eleventh verse, and I'd like to dwell just a few minutes on the thought here in the eleventh verse. "And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus." The thought here tonight that I'd like to dwell on for just a few minutes is the glory of that light. Now tonight first of all I would love to say that I am a happy Christian. I am a happy Christian. I've often said I don't believe that anybody has anymore problems than I have. It seems like there is a continuation of problems. And Paul said that in my heart there is continual sorrow. It seems that we have continual sorrow in that we have problems of all kind with everybody. And it seems like it falls my lot that problems can start across the sea into the islands and they wind up in my lap. I don't know how they do it but they do. And I've had things to arise from way over in the seas and I would get the repercussion from it and eventually have to make amends or do whatever was to be made. But nevertheless I thank God for His blessings, for His wonderful leadership and because I am a happy Christian. Now a man could be having a continual conflict in His outer man and still be full of joy on the inside. Paul said, Though the outer man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by day. And it is a true fact that though this outer man has conflict and problems, yet there is something that you can learn about or come in contact with in the inner man that can over ride every oppression and every trouble in the outer man. I was thinking about Brother Husteller tonight. I know that his heart is heavy. I know that his wife's heart is heavy because he's been having some problems. And I know exactly how he feels because I've had the same problems and it's a terrible feeling. But I notice tonight as Brother Taylor was standing here praising God that Brother Husteller also was praising God and enjoying the blessings of the Lord. The Bible tells us that in this world you'll have trouble, but in Me you'll have peace. Paul said, If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable. And that's true. If I don't have any hope beyond this life, then I can say that I'd be of all men the most miserable in that I don't like the way that things goes on out in the world. I don't like the system. I don't like the way they do things. I don't like the way people act. I don't like the way they dress. I'm contrary to it in my spirit because my spirit is in harmony with the Word of God. And so then I find that I'm contrary to those things out there. And the Bible said that that we have a continual warfare between the inner and the outer man of the body and the spirit. Paul said there's a continual warfare because one of them is contrary to the other. So those that are out in the world that's in the flesh they are contrary to those that are in the kingdom of God that's in the Spirit. Is that right? And so then it makes a continual warfare and we're constantly having to pray and ask God to give us strength to surmount our problems and be able to rise over it. But we can do it and we do do it by the grace of God. Now you say, how can you do that? By the glory of that light. That light has such great glory that we're able to do it. Paul on the way to Damascus was really having problems being in the frame of mind that he was, being alienated from the, alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel as he used the terms. He was really having problems and was persecuting the Christians and on his way to destruction because God would have destroyed it if he continued to do it. But according to the Bible that as he journeyed on his way to Damascus all of a sudden there shone round about him a great light from heaven and he heard the voice from heaven and that voice begin to say Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? Why persecutest thou Me? The light that showed round about him brought out all of his thoughts, all of his wrongs, and begin to make him see who he was and what he ought to be in God. Hallelujah! The light of that glory shining around about him began to make him know where he was standing, Bill. All of a sudden that light shined down around him and Paul began to recognize his identity in God. I'm glad to know that one day that the light of God's glory began to shine down around me. And I began to feel the presence of that glory as it began to come down around me, and I began to find out my identity in God. We preached a message the other night, either the Lost Identity or the Found Identity. I don't know what Brother Taylor named it, but one way or another we've lost our identity at one time through Adam, but we've found the identity through Christ. And today by the light of that glory, the glory of that light, today we have found ourselves to be sons of God. That's why that I say that I'm a happy Christian. I'm happy tonight because I know the mystery of God. Many years I did not know the mystery of God. For many years I sought to know the mystery of God. Many long years I searched and I searched and because I did not know the mystery of God I couldn't be happy and I couldn't be contented. I'd read in the Bible what the Bible said, I'd hear the minister preach and I wanted to believe him but I just couldn't understand the mystery of the kingdom of God. And because of that I couldn't feel secure in the Lord. I couldn't feel that eternal security that God intended for me to have. And it always troubled me and always bothered me. But one day I learned the mystery of God and I found out just how secure a Christian really is and since he's been bought with the blood of Jesus. And when I found out that I had such great security in God that not even the devil himself could dismantle me or overthrow me, I began to realize then that I could be a happy person. When you come to realize that even the devil doesn't have any power to overthrow you, then you become a happy person. But as long as you feel that everything could come against you and overthrow you, as long as you feel like you're just holding on by a shoestring so to speak, you'll never have any happiness. There will never be any happiness for you. That kind of faith will never get you into the kingdom of God. But I tell you what when you come to understand the Word and understand the mysteries of God and you come to the faith of Jesus Christ, then you'll be a happy person. It will make you happy because there's something that's real about it. You know speaking of these things it makes me want to get into a message that I know that I couldn't preach tonight. I was thinking on some things today and studying some things today concerning the kingdom of God and the righteousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And it thrilled my soul as I refreshed my memory and refreshed my mind in the things of God concerning the kingdom. You know the Jews had a hard time because they never understood the righteousness of God. Though they tried hard, they fasted and they prayed. They reminded me of a lot of Pentecostal people. You know I'm acquainted with Pentecostal people and I, I see Pentecostal people, they pray and they fast and they search and they try to convince themselves that everything's all right. And then they have a little run in with the devil and they're all cast down. They feel like they're backslide and they feel like they're not going to make it in. And I think of the Jews a lot of times when I think of those people, because they are basing their experience on what they tried to do through life in holding what they believe to be a standard of righteousness. When according to the Scripture everything that they could have done in the flesh as far as fasting as far as praying or anything that they could have done would have been as filthy rags in the sight of God. There is nothing that they could have done in their own weak, feeble contemptible way that would have ever even phased God. And yet they've let their faith rest in the works that they've tried to do. I see people that are miserable because they let their faith rest in having dreams or prophecies or what somebodies told them or what they come to believe about a matter. And as a consequence of this wherever I find those people I find miserable people because they don't have an experience with God like they need. But I've never seen one miserable person that ever put their faith in Jesus Christ, I mean really put their faith in the Lord. I'm reminded of what Paul said when he told the Jews, he said, Though you trust in the righteousness of the law, yet he said you stumble at the faith of Jesus Christ. You stumble at the faith which is by Jesus. A lot of people let their experience rest in the fact that they believe in Jesus. They base their salvation on the fact that they believe in Jesus. And still wind up in miserable. But when we come to understand that God is not wanting us to found our faith on our believing in Jesus nor on our experiences nor works of law nor on dreams, but to base our experiences on "the faith of Jesus Christ". The Bible said the faith by which we are sanctified. And there is a righteousness that's by the law that we could not keep. But there is a righteousness that was wrought by God in Jesus that was by the faith of Jesus Christ Himself. Not by our believing in Him but by His believing in God. It's not by our believing in Him but it's by the faith that He had in His heart toward God. The unwiltering, the unwavering faith that He had in God when He wrought my salvation. When a man comes to understand the righteousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ or the righteousness which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, wherein we be fallen from the grace of God through the fall of Adam, that we have been re-established and God has given us a great plan of rehabilitation and brought us back into His presence through the finished works of Calvary and what His Son did for us. To know that Jesus lived the life and through the life that He lived I've overcome. To know that Jesus kept every jot and every tittle of the law. And today I am partakers of the benefit of God because of what He did. Today I'm a victorian in Christ, Brother Zell, because He overcome. Today I'm a Christian because He lived right. Today I'm in the kingdom of God because He spilt His blood. And today I have eternal security to where there is nothing that can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ. It doesn't matter if it's power of evil. It doesn't matter if it's depressions, if it's circumstances through life, if it's sicknesses, if it's afflictions or whatever it might be. There is nothing that can take me away from the love of God. I am secure in the love of God. The Bible tells us that God has predestinated us unto sonship. Through His foreknowledge He has given us a great predestination unto sonship. And the Bible said that them that God predestinated them that He foreknew before the world ever was, that at the time when everything was ready He sent out a ministry and He called them. He called. At the time that He sent out for Paul when he was on the way to Damascus, this same Paul on the way to Damascus. I'm sure that Paul never realized spiritually speaking that he was one of the elect of God. Though he had set at the feet of Gamaliel, though he had been of the strictest of the Pharisees and believed in the resurrection, though he was of the tribe of Benjamin, yet it is a true fact that he never really came to understand that he had eternal security in God until he saw the light of the glory of that light. He never came to understand his benefits in God until one day he came in contact with God and the radiant glory of that light, the excellence of that light, the great excellency of God shined round about him and he began to realize how great he was in God. Believing in the securities of God, what a thought for a little Christian that's coming up. What a thought for them that are struggling. Paul explaining that if God so loved us, while we were yet weak and without strength, while we were yet sinners where nobody could help us. If God so loved us that He reconciled us to Himself through the death of His own Son. If He so loved us so much when we didn't even say, Lord, Lord. When we knew nothing of Him, that He was willing to take Jesus and smite Jesus and hang Him upon Calvary. Whereas the Bible said, We esteemed Him smitten of God, hang him there on Calvary and bruise Him for our transgressions. If God being so willing before we were ever Christians, before we ever knew God that He would take His own Son and let Him die to reconcile us unto God, Paul said, How much more are we to believe in the salvation and strength of God's love. In that we are now calling upon the name of the Lord, and in that we are now considered to be His children. How much more does God love us in that the atonement of the blood is already made, in that He loved us so much before we ever turned to Him. If He loved us so much before we ever turned to Him so much that He would even let Jesus die that we might be reconciled unto Him to give us opportunity, if He loved us so much that He would sacrifice the most beloved thing that heaven could afford just to give us an opportunity to be saved, how much more does He love us now that we've accepted the opportunity that He's given us? What a wonderful thought! What a wonderful God! What a wonderful security that we have in God, an eternal security. And so then Paul in upbraiding the Jews he told them he said, You trust in the righteousness of the law, that which could never save you. Even though he said the promises, the covenant, the glory, all of this belonged to the Father, for in the, to the prophets. He said, But that's not God's way. He said, I want to show you the way of God without the law. I want to show you God's salvation without the law. And he said, I want to show you what faith can do without the law. He said, This being God's plan without the law and without that which pertains to the law, he said, I want to show you something that can save you by simply having confidence in what God did. I want to show you a simple plan of salvation to where all you got to do is confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him up from the dead and you can have salvation. Not the law but He said the law and the prophets witnessed to the faith of Jesus Christ or the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ. All the law witnessed to it. It was a testimony to it because it said someday there shall come a son. Someday there shall come someone that can save you from your sins and the law pointed to it. The law witnessed of it. The law testified of it. All the promises of the Old Testament witnessed of the coming of Jesus and the salvation of God. The prophets witnessed to it. All of the promises of God witnessed to it. The law witnessed to it and then one day it came. And today we are the fortunate ones that are privileged to live in the age of the salvation and the redemption of God's finished work by faith in Jesus Christ, the faith by which we are sanctified. It is no wonder the Bible tells us that we should contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints of God. We should contend for the faith of Jesus Christ that was once delivered unto God. Then Paul tells us that he love of God being shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, that if we could understand, if we could see that the Spirit of the living God bears witness within us that we are sons of God. That His Spirit witnesses with my spirit that I'm a son of God, that I've passed from death unto life and that I'll never have to die again, never again. I've passed from death unto life and I've come into the great understanding of God and I've come into the mysteries of God. And even though we're not speaking of the mysteries tonight in any depth whereas it might stir some of you, but this is a great mystery that we're speaking of right here that even the world doesn't understand yet. That we have salvation by the faith of Jesus Christ. We have a salvation not by our faith. A lot of people teach that all you got to do is just get salvation by believing. But I want you to know that if I had have done all the believing I could have ever done I'd never got salvation. I could have believed from now until the Lord returned but I'd never got salvation. But I want you to know that the faith of Christ was sufficient to bring salvation. A lot of people would say, Well I believe Brother Pike that when the end of the world comes that that the Lord will return and we'll have this great thing that you're speaking of. But I want you to know that Peter said, Ye are the people upon whom the end of the world have come way back yonder. Way back yonder, Peter said, Ye are the people upon whom the ends of the world have come. Even in the days of Jesus the Bible said that was the end of the world. That was the end of the world. Back there when Peter looked and saw the things happen, he said, the Scriptures are fulfilled. Jesus stood up and said this day the scripture's fulfilled in your hearing in your ears. And Peter said, Ye are the people upon whom the ends of the world have come. For the Bible said that in the evening time of life God would offer up His Son Jesus. According to the old sacrificial laws when they'd take the lamb out in the evening time and offer him up, here was the evening time of life as Peter recognized the big brazen altar at Calvary and saw the Lamb going to the sacrifice. Here upon the great altar as the blazing fire of the wrath of God's consummation coming down upon the great, brazen altar picking up the Lamb and taking the sacrifice into the presence of God that He could atone for our sins. What a great and a beautiful picture! What a great thought to know that the end of the world was there. And whereas the Bible said that in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son. The Son that was born of a woman and the son that was made under the law, that in the end of the world the fullness of time that that was it, that was the finishing of it. And from that time on we've had the great opportunity, not to live in the earth, but to be those that dwell in heaven and in the very presence of God. Tonight I'm not dwelling in the earth. The Bible said, You're not of this world. I've chosen you out of this world. And tonight I'd hid with Christ in God whom the heavens have received. The Bible said that God hath translated us into the marvelous kingdom of our God. And tonight I'm in the kingdom of God. Tonight I'm hid with Christ in God. Tonight I'm in the heavenly places tonight beholding the glory of God. Why? All because of the eternal security and the benefits and the power of the faith of the mystery that Paul spoke of that is translating me into the marvelous kingdom of my God. I believed it. I believed to salvation. The Bible said, Who hath believed our report? The words have gone into all of the ends of the earth, but who hath believed the report? I believe the report. I believed, and because I believed tonight, I'm in the presence of God. I believed and tonight because I believed I'm in heavenly places tonight. I believed and because I believed God chose me out of this world, took me up into another world, and tonight I'm there with God and even the devil don't know where I'm at. He can't find me. As I said the other night people looking for my faults, tried to find fault with me saying, Brother Pike this and Brother Pike that, or Brother Zell this or Brother Grady that, or Brother Frank or Brother Bill or what not, why they couldn't blame you with nothing because they don't know where I'm at. They couldn't fight couldn't see my faults because they can't see me. Somebody would say, Brother Pike, I think you're eccentric. I'm looking at you. I can see you, but you can't. The Bible said, I'm hid with God in Christ. You don't know where I'm at and you can't see me. You can't see me. The devil can't get to me because he can't pass over the blood line. Amen! You say, But Brother Pike, I see you as a human being standing there. I see the fleshly body. But Paul said according to the Scriptures that I was crucified with Jesus. I was buried in a watery grave and it's not I that live but it's Christ that liveth within me and the life that I now live I live by the Son of God. Not to know any man after the flesh but to know him as a spirit. And tonight to know him after the spirit is to know him as a son of God if he's been born again. Know him after the spirit is to know him as a devil if he hasn't been... (Side 2)...just exhort you a little bit but I want you just to think a little bit about the glory of that light tonight. One of the things that I was thinking of just a few days ago as I was ministering. You know the Jews trusted in Father Abraham. And they were so sure that circumcision had to do with their salvation. And they felt because God had given Abraham the sign of circumcision, that if you was not circumcised according to the law then you couldn't be in the plan of God. But when Paul received the revelation when Paul received the mystery and then he went to confront the Jews, he asked them a simple question. I want you ask you a question tonight as he would say to the Jews. Did God appear to Abraham and give Abraham the plan of God, the plan of faith that justified Abraham by faith before the circumcision or after the circumcision? In other words Paul said to the Jews as he confounded them, if what you're preaching is right, then tell me this. Did God save Abraham because of the sign of circumcision or did God give Abraham the sign of circumcision because He saved him? Hallelujah! The question is: Is a man saved because he's been baptized in that baptism is the circumcision, the putting away of the old man? Is the man saved because he is put in the water? Is that what saves him? Or is he put in the water because God saved him by the foreknowledge of Christ? The Bible said you are elect according to the foreknowledge of God. That means tonight that my salvation was wrought in Christ before the world ever was. I'm God's elect tonight. Not because that that I've done something good. But I'm God's elect tonight because God before the foundation of the world saw me in His foreknowledge and wrote my name down according to the book of Revelation in the book of life and tonight I've got salvation. Hallelujah! Because God made me His elect according by foreknowledge. And the Bible said them that He foreknew He predestinated. Them that He predestinated Paul said He also called. Them that He called said He also justified. Them that He justified Paul said that He also glorified. Hallelujah! Somebody said I'm just waiting for the day God glorifies me. I'm waiting for the day God glorifies you too, because the glory of that light is great. I've received my glorification and I hope that you can receive yours. Them that God looked down and saw the Bible said he heard the groaning of the prisoners, them that was appointed unto death, them that had to die. Them that had to go by the way of the grave because of the sins of Adam, but one day God looked down from heaven and God heard the groaning of the prisoners and God loosed them that was appointed unto death, that God came to them and said, I am the resurrection and the life. My words are spirit and life. If you can believe on these words you'll never die but you've passed from death unto life. In a day He secured at Calvary at a time appointed. At the right time He heard their crying and God loosed the prisoners and turned them loose. When Jesus went down into the heart of the earth to preach to those souls that had been crying, the Bible said that the graves broke open and they come up and they got up out of the ground and they walked around. Loosed those that were in prison, heard the groaning of the prisoners. Came down from heaven and took away death and let them come up out of the grave to show that we were free. Paul said and the mystery being delivered, as Jesus for our offenses in all that Adam had brought upon us. But being raised up as Christ for our justification that we have eternal life and security from now on. And said because we are now divorced from him that was nailed to Calvary as a type of the law we can be married to Him that rose up from the dead from here on out. Said if the husband that was sinful in that he was made sin is now put away which was the old body that caused the trouble in the fall. Paul said, Now as the spiritual man I'm alive unto God forevermore. It's obvious tonight that when we fell by the fall of Adam that we died in the spirit, came alive for the flesh. And that life's been a parasite. Ever since it's been living our life for us. That we've had a parasite life in the body ever since the fall of Adam. But today that parasite life is gone. It's killed at Calvary. And that true light that came from the overshadowing the Shekinah glory of God in the garden is back on the inside. And today the body of that death that Paul spoke of is taken away at Calvary. And the circumcision of the heart is come and the old man is put away. And the new man is living today and the inner man today is in contact with heaven. And the inner man today is alive. And Paul said because of that the old outer man's dead and he can't sin no more. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death oh wretched man that I am? I thank God he said what the law couldn't do, Jesus done it. God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and nailed it to the cross, condemned sin in the flesh, done away with sin in the flesh. And he that is born of God can never sin anymore because he isn't alive anymore to sin. There is no transgression of the law when a man's dead. And since we're dead and buried, we're are gone, buried, done away with as the old man. They're never be another sin in the Christian's life, never again. He's without spot, he's without blemish, he is perfected forever. The Bible said, God has perfected forever them that are sanctified and sanctified them once and for all by the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Therefore we contend for the faith, the faith by which we are sanctified. Hallelujah! That is the faith that went to Calvary, sanctified me once and for all. And that sanctification perfected me forever that never again would sin be brought into the remembrance of God. In the Old Testament the Bible said that the law continually brought back remembrance of sin every year with the offering of the atonement. But He said once and for all God put it away from Him. I don't never come to His sight again to sin. Never again will see it come in the sight of God, never again. It's all gone. We are free. That's why I'm a happy Christian tonight is because of the glory of that light. That light, the Bible said the glory of that light which would be the last or the latter house which would be the light of the world - the Christian. Said it would be far greater than that of the Jew which would be the former light, a lesser light that was through a veil called a law or an intellectual ritualistics. Today we're the light of the world and the glory of that light is exceedingly great and it's reaching throughout all the world, all the world. Tonight I'm thankful because I'm acquainted with the glory of that light. And Paul become acquainted with it, from that time on Paul found his place in God and he never worried again. He said I am persuaded that God is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that great day. I'm persuaded that nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ. If some of you have been through the things that I've been through with, maybe you have, maybe more; but if some of you had have been through the things that I've been through with, the tortures and the torments and the conflicts of mind, the tortures and the torments and the conflicts of false brethren, and the perils and everything that we've been through out yonder around across the nation and out in the different parts of the world, you'd understand tonight that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. It is so great and so strong there is nothing can take you away. Tonight if you are trusting in the faith that was in him, not your faith but His faith. If you're trusting tonight in believing in His faith, that His faith was sufficient to please God, that His life was sufficient to please God, that what He did was sufficient to please God and that God accepted you because of what He did, and tonight all you got to do is accept the righteous is, to accept the righteousness of God by the atonement of Jesus Christ, if you can believe that in your heart, confess it with your mouth, thou shalt be saved. What a wonderful thought! I'd like for you to stand with me. I just felt like exhorting you a little bit tonight. It's about almost twenty-five minutes after nine. I'd been preaching almost an hour. I thank the Lord tonight for the opportunity to come here, fellowship our brother and sister in the Lord. Expound the gospel and try to say a little something that might encourage you. If you don't have a real confidence in your salvation tonight, I tell you what, you can be a happy christian. If you understand what I understand, believe what I believe there's something that will bubble up on the inside of you and like I said the other day the deep calling to the deep at the water spout of God. How many of you believe that you're the water spout of God? Out of your innermost being flows rivers of living water. At the water spout of God the deep called unto the deep and it answered back. Answers back and my cup runs over. Out of the wells of salvation comes waters of life through abundance of joy. Hallelujah! Let's sing a little chorus together. If the sister doesn't mind coming back to the piano, Brother Ron on the guitar here we'll just sing a little chorus and we'll turn the service right back to the brother. A lot of times we sing the song: amazing grace how sweet the sound. I want us to try to sing that tonight. We've got our camera men back yonder tonight. He'll get that picture of the brother and sister that we couldn't get just a little bit ago. Praise God! Let's everybody together. Let's just sing a little chorus together can we? Let's see if I can use this mike here. (Sings) I was blind but now I can see. (Sings) I wonder if you believe tonight. Do you really believe tonight? You know a lot of people say, Brother Pike, I want to believe but I'm just weak in faith. But why are you weak in faith? If you know tonight that you're only believing in His believing, and it's not your believing that saves you but His believing, and all you're doing is believing in His believing then why are you weak tonight? You're not trusting in your believing tonight to bring you salvation. You're trusting in His believing tonight so why not believe? Hallelujah! It's easy to believe in that? Hallelujah! That makes you a happy Christian. Because it's true. It's absolutely God's Word tonight. The Bible said, Abraham strong in faith. He did not stagger at God's promise, never considered the deadness of Sarah's womb though she was about a hundred years old, staggered not at the promises of God. Can you see that tonight? Might have an affliction, might have a problem, might have a sickness tonight. Might have a financial difficulty tonight. Might have a need. Might be bound with evil spirits tonight. Might have a conflict in your mind tonight. But my brother, Abraham never considered the deadness, never considered the deadness. He never considered the opposition. He never looked at it like that. You know the way he looked at it? He never thought about the deadness of the womb. But he thought about what God said about it. If you're sick tonight, don't think about the sickness. Don't think about the opposition. But calling those things that are not as though they are because God said they are. Tonight according to all human reasoning you're dying and on you way to hell. But according to what God said about it I'm on my way to heaven. I believe what He said about it don't you? Somebody said, According to the doctors report you're dying with cancer. You're dying with tb. You're dying with heart condition, perishing, but according to what God said about it, by His strips you're healed. The Bible said Abraham never considered the other, He just said that's what God said, that's good enough for me. Not to lean on your own understanding but to trust in God with all your heart. Hallelujah! All of His promises are yea and amen. Abraham considered not the opposition. Considered not the problems. He knew as well as you know that there was natural opposition that according to natural life they could never have any children. But he never considered that. He just said, God you promised. You promised. They tell me that thirty-two thousand promises in here. God you promised. And because you promised I believe it. Hallelujah! I believe it ought to be that way. I believe Brother Zell if there's a blind eye that it ought to be looked at and the deadness thereon not to be considered. It's what God promised. If there is a withered arm it ought not to be considered. We ought to consider God's promise. If a person is dead and in the coffin we ought not consider the deadness of that person but what God promised. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. Hallelujah! That's the way it ought to be. We ought to train ourselves to believe. We ought to never have the negative side of life. Never think anything but the positive Word of God, except the positive mind of Christ and never consider any elements of defeat. There is no defeat in Him. This is the victory that overcometh the world even your faith. Let's sing it again. (Sings) You know I'm going to say this to you before I turn this service over to our brother. When you think of what you have to do to make it in it is a wearisome, long, hard, tiring journey. But when you consider the fact that because He died you made it in, it is joy unspeakable and it is full of glory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! That's why Brother Taylor hollers hallelujah like he does. He found out the truth. And today he's rejoicing because of that. Hallelujah! Praise God! I wonder if Sister Cindy could come up and play the organ for Brother Taylor to come up for just a minute before we turn it back to Grady. I'd like for us to rejoice in the spirit for just a few minutes. You love the Lord? Praise God! I'm going to ask Brother Taylor to come over here. Let's rejoice with him for just a few minutes. (Sings and talks) Sing it again can we? (Sings) You feel like you're a Christian tonight? Do you really feel like you're a Christian tonight? Do you believe in the finished works of Calvary? Do you believe in it? Do you believe it's sufficient? Without anything else do you believe it's sufficient all by itself? Hallelujah! Do you believe it's finished when He said it's finished do you believe it's finished? Are you resting in a finished work tonight? Jesus said, It's finished. I'm resting in a finished work tonight. Brother Husteller to me it's finished. He done a good job. Hallelujah! He done a good job. I'm resting in Him tonight. Hallelujah! I feel the Holy Ghost, don't you? I feel the Holy Ghost tonight because I'm resting in the finished works of God. Hallelujah! One more time I want you to lift your hands up with me and I want us to sing it together tonight. Can we? (Sings) One more time. (Sings) You know I'd like to say this tonight just before we ask Brother Grady to come here. I, I believe that if you're having any kind of problems tonight if you will believe what I told you tonight and rest and trust in that, don't listen to any other thoughts, don't lean to your own understanding. Don't listen to your thoughts. Take what He said. Trust in it with all of your heart. And I'll tell you you'll reap a wonderful life, a wonderful life in God. You'll be a great victorian in God. The devil will never be able to do anything with you. Taking the shield of faith that you might be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Praise God! Brother Grady, if you'll come over we'll turn it back to you. I want to say as Grady comes it's a privilege for me to be here, be back with you tomorrow night the good Lord being willing. And some of the others I'm sure will be up with us around the tabernacle. They'll have some brochures out maybe a few others might be with us. Brother Taylor and some of them will probably spread some brochures tomorrow. And I've got some brethren that when they spread brochures everybody knows about it just about it. Because they cover, they cover the place like they got a little saying you know that the Atlanta Journal covers Dixie like the dew. Well when these boys go out they cover it like the dew drops. And they really put out brochures. So it might be that somebody else will be stirred up and want to come over here and be in service with us. Brother Grady if you will come on.

By Rev. George Leon Pike Sr.

Founder and first President of Jesus Christ’s Eternal Kingdom of Abundant Life, Inc.

Holiness Unto The Lord